Challenging behavior in preschool is a serious concern for teachers. In recent years, positive behavior support (PBS) has been shown to be effective in reducing such behaviors. Class-Wide Function-related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a specific program for implementing PBS principles in classroom settings. CW-FIT is a group contingency that…

Though laws relating to including children on the autism spectrum and general education in public school settings are in place, inclusion of students is still not a widespread practice in all elementary classrooms. This study examines the social needs of children with autism and in an inclusive classroom. Children with autism are often placed in…

Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) demonstrate changes in the strategies they use to cope with parenting stress, shifting from problem-focused to emotion-focused coping as their child ages (Gray, 2006). Once parents have resolved their child's diagnosis, they may manage their emotions through sharing social support with…

Student-centered learning has an important place in education because it fosters student engagement and allows the traditional micromanaging teacher to transform into a guide. The current education model emphasizes teacher control and curriculum based on standardized testing, which stunts students' natural learning processes. This study…

The purpose of this action research project was to improve the social skills of eight preschool students and four first grade and second grade students through the use of Social Stories and visual supports to create a more positive learning environment. The teacher researchers wanted to increase the social skills of students who had been diagnosed…

This action research project involved the implementation of a program designed to improve student motivation to write through the use of children's literature. The targeted populations were students in one kindergarten class and one third grade ELL [English Language Learners] class in two elementary schools. Both schools were located in a…

The image of the librarian has engendered much discussion among professional librarians. Children's fiction and picture books are good mediums in which to examine the image of the librarian, since they provide impressionable children some of their earliest cultural knowledge. Children's authors can supply powerful images by means of text and…

This general study reports on Travellers (often called gypsies) with a specific focus on children who attended one school in Norfolk (United Kingdom) during January-July 1991. Divided into six chapters, chapter 1, "An Historical, Legislative, and Educational Perspective on Travellers," offers an overview with distinctions made between…

Case studies of eight hearing impaired preschool children from Spanish speaking homes were presented in this dissertation. The children and their parents were enrolled in the Trinity University Parent/Infant Program for hearing impaired infants from Spanish speaking homes. The case studies consisted of family and medical histories, audiological…

This study examines the failure of urban schools to meet the educational needs of minority children and explores the possibilities of using television as a tool for educational change. It discusses three television series ("Sesame Street,""The Electric Company," and "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids") with regard to their success as teaching/learning…

This study sought to determine whether identification with a storybook hero is a function of physical status of hero and reader and whether friendship preference also is a function of physical status. Physically disabled and nondisabled four-to-seven-year-old children were randomly assigned to two storybook treatments. The control version depicted…

Over the past two decades, an increasing number of American children are left in self-care after school each day. Parents of these latchkey children often turn to the library as a safe place for their children to go. The purpose of this study was to determine whether public libraries have responded since 1990 to the call put forward by concerned…

This paper explores the concept of toy lending libraries. The first six chapters discuss: (1) the history of toy lending libraries; (2) the values and purposes of using games and toys with children; (2) the contribution of games and toys to the goals of a children's services library division; (3) examples of toy lending service in public…

This paper is a review of current research on the effects of children's exposure to domestic violence in the home in regard to their psychological well-being. Specific areas of focus include studies that examine general effects of witnessing domestic violence, the presence of trauma-like and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, potential…

This action research project evaluated a program for increasing prosocial behaviors of preschoolers, kindergartners, and first graders. Participating were three classrooms of students, one class in each grade level, in a middle class community in a large Midwestern city. The problem of failure to display prosocial behavior was documented among…